Player Discussion Tryamkin

[bandwagonesque]

Just to get a jump on things for future edification:

• I have always liked Tryamkin as a player. He brings physical tools that are exceedingly rare. There is simply no way to counter sheer strength and size and if it were up to me, I'd be slotting him on the third pairing right now today. After Hughes and Edler, there's nobody else I'd have ahead of him on the left side, and after Tanev and Myers, there's nobody else I'd put ahead of him on the right side. That's right now. Even going into a play off/in/whatever round with him having no experience with the coaching staff or team or even NHL hockey for years, I'd still do it if possible. Slam dunk over Benn, Stecher, Fantenberg, Juolevi (yeah, right...), Rafferty, Rathbone or anyone else in the system.

To my knowledge no one's disputing you feel this way and it has nothing to do with why people felt you weren't being truthful.

• 
  

  That's how much I like this player. I have never, ever, not once said his absence is anything other than a loss for the team.

  As far as I can tell, no one said otherwise.
  

• He left because he wasn't happy, and that's been well documented. Google that shit before you post. You think it's me myself and I who just cooked that up one day? Believe what you like. It wasn't.

  Everyone agrees he left the first time because he was unhappy, it was widely reported at the time and has been ever since and this has nothing to do with what we're talking about. What we're saying is that you seem to be taking credit for accurately predicting that Tryamkin would be unwilling to resign with the Canucks following the expiration of his KHL contract when there's no evidence this is true and when every media report that's come out over the last few weeks, which we assume you have read and understand, says that he was willing to sign and waiting for a 1-way contract offer which the Canucks didn't make due to cap constraints. Do you understand why this appears to be dishonest?

 

[Peter10]

I think its pretty fair to say Nik is the first casualty of the cap crunch, even with the covid circumstances.

I can understand tho Benning not wanting to screw with the teams chemistry right now and sign Nik, leaving Stecher to wonder if he has a future here or not. But, if we had 5 or 6 mil in cap space Nik could have been signed and that maybe could have been avoided, but its hard not to think Benn and Stecher both would be concerned heading into the playoffs. Nik could have waited a little longer but I can see why he took an extension.

I dont really mind that they didnt sign Tryamkin but to blame Covid for this when the really root cause for their cap trouble are the numerous bad contracts seems to be a cop out to me.

 

[Bob Long]

I dont really mind that they didnt sign Tryamkin but to blame Covid for this when the really root cause for their cap trouble are the numerous bad contracts seems to be a cop out to me.

covid is a factor in that its made the timing of a new deal very odd, usually it wouldn't happen when a team is still playing out a season like this, and Diamond seemed to suggest there was some urgency due to uncertainly. But for sure if Jim had 5-10 mil in cap space the deal likely gets done.

No, this is legitimately the first real result of damage from the cap situation. Is it a crushing defeat? No, particularly since they got Rathbone inked but I was pretty disappointed with this development. I didn't have Nik pencilled into the top 4 but wanted to see if his physical play could be a factor on the bottom pairing.

I guess the bright side here is if Benning can clear some significant cap room thee will be other quality depth UFA d on the market this year for cheap.

 

[ChilliBilly]

I dont really mind that they didnt sign Tryamkin but to blame Covid for this when the really root cause for their cap trouble are the numerous bad contracts seems to be a cop out to me.

Bit of both. Atrocious handling of the cap, but Try was wise to say screw and sign KHL with there being no indication of the NHL having a season. I am on record of saying I don't think they will finish this season. (over / under about 60 / 40.)

 

[VanJack]

Listened to Tryamkin's agent Todd Diamond on TSN 1040 on his exit interview to the KHL. Lol. Diamond seems to be as knowledgeable about the Cancucks cap situation on the blueline as the Canucks braintrust.

He predicts the Canucks moving on from Edler and Benn after the next off-season, will open the door for Tryamkin's return. Hopefully the flat salary cap for the next couple of seasons won't impact the final decision.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

This is a lot of chatter for someone who’s essentially a bottom pair dman.

He’s shown flashes he can play periodically in the Top 4 but by no means has he proven the ability to stay there.

If wasn’t for the fact he’s as big as a house, he’d be just another dman.

If this team wants to be decent, he fights for a spot and maybe gets bottom pair minutes.

If they don’t, then he will be playing Top 4.

But given he will likely only come with certain promises, I expect him to get decent $$ and promises to play decent minutes once the ability to sign comes about again.

 

[VanJack]

This is a lot of chatter for someone who’s essentially a bottom pair dman.

He’s shown flashes he can play periodically in the Top 4 but by no means has he proven the ability to stay there.

If wasn’t for the fact he’s as big as a house, he’d be just another dman.

If this team wants to be decent, he fights for a spot and maybe gets bottom pair minutes.

If they don’t, then he will be playing Top 4.

But given he will likely only come with certain promises, I expect him to get decent $$ and promises to play decent minutes once the ability to sign comes about again.

I agree. If the Canucks blueline wasn't such a black hole, Tryamkin would be just another 'face in the crowd', even though he'd be a 'big face' at 6'7", 250.

But as the Canucks blueline drafts falter, and another UFA d-man signed to a bloated contract basically flops, the attention naturally turns in desperation to anyone with a pulse.

So Canuck fans are probably more obsessed with Tryamkin than they should be.

 

[MS]

But i still don't really see what any of it has to do with Tryamkin. He's the type of player who should be signing the sort of affordable contract that helps you alleviate some cap pressure. Not contributing to the problem. If he and his agent are fishing for a contract befitting anything more than a bottom-pairing D who needs to prove that he can be more than that...that's an issue of over-asking, which would be a problem regardless of if we had tens of millions in spare cap space.

Our cap situation is so bad that young mid-roster players out-performing small contracts like Troy Stecher potentially won't even be qualified. A 'reasonable' ask by Tryamkin might still be unreasonable for this team.

If you aren't a core player or making $800k, you're a problem right now.

 

[VanJack]

Our cap situation is so bad that young mid-roster players out-performing small contracts like Troy Stecher potentially won't even be qualified. A 'reasonable' ask by Tryamkin might still be unreasonable for this team.

If you aren't a core player or making $800k, you're a problem right now.

This is a looming issue across the league. The days of bottom of the roster players like Baertschi, Roussel, Beagle, Sutter, etc. earning $3-4m a season are at an end.

The NHL could soon go the way of the NBA.....a few guys earning a ton of money at the top, and the rest arrayed from $2m a season down to the league minimum ($800.000)

Guys like Rathbone, Podkolzin and Hoglander will force their way into the lineup for no other reason than the fact that they're on their ELC's. Cap management has never been more vital when if comes to building a roster.

 

[MS]

This is a looming issue across the league. The days of bottom of the roster players like Baertschi, Roussel, Beagle, Sutter, etc. earning $3-4m a season are at an end.

The NHL could soon go the way of the NBA.....a few guys earning a ton of money at the top, and the rest arrayed from $2m a season down to the league minimum ($800.000)

Guys like Rathbone, Podkolzin and Hoglander will force their way into the lineup for no other reason than the fact that they're on their ELC's. Cap management has never been more vital when if comes to building a roster.

To be fair, there was never an era where paying guys like Baertschi/Roussel/Beagle/Sutter what Benning gave them was a good idea. It isn't like other teams were doing this and succeeding.

Right now, if you're a quality middle-6 forward or solid #3-5 defender and you make less than $3 million, that's pretty automatically good value.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

Kids not a NHL defensman on a good team. Hope to never hear his name again. Mediocre entitled player that is big. Dime a dozen.

 

[VanJack]

Rick Dhaliwal on with Sekeras and Price, speculating that it might have been the owner pushing back on some of these signings. Particularly if it's not an open and shut case that Tryamkin can actually play in the top-six.

Everything looked rosy early on. Apparently Green spent an hour on the phone with Tryamkin talking about next season (either Green learned to speak Russian via hypnosis or Tryamkin's English has improved dramatically).

And just last month, Benning was singing the praises of Tryamkin for his skating, defensive positioning and imposing physical presence on the ice. A contract seemed imminent. So what happened?

I guess the signing of Rathbone was a factor. But the TSN crew speculating that Aquilini is finally starting to push back on some of these contracts, if they're for marginal players. And if he is, who could blame him?

COVID has decimated the revenues of every NHL team. And he must look at how much they were paying last year for AHL players and marginal guys like Benn who couldn't even get out of the press-box. He's the owner of a team trying to win the Stanley Cup, not the Calder Cup.

And as the financial crisis deepens, you have to wonder if Benning and company have new marching orders from ownership when it comes to expensive contracts. If so, finally!

 

[CpatainCanuck]

Rick Dhaliwal on with Sekeras and Price, speculating that it might have been the owner pushing back on some of these signings. Particularly if it's not an open and shut case that Tryamkin can actually play in the top-six.

Everything looked rosy early on. Apparently Green spent an hour on the phone with Tryamkin talking about next season (either Green learned to speak Russian via hypnosis or Tryamkin's English has improved dramatically).

And just last month, Benning was singing the praises of Tryamkin for his skating, defensive positioning and imposing physical presence on the ice. A contract seemed imminent. So what happened?

I guess the signing of Rathbone was a factor. But the TSN crew speculating that Aquilini is finally starting to push back on some of these contracts, if they're for marginal players. And if he is, who could blame him?

COVID has decimated the revenues of every NHL team. And he must look at how much they were paying last year for AHL players and marginal guys like Benn who couldn't even get out of the press-box. He's the owner of a team trying to win the Stanley Cup, not the Calder Cup.

And as the financial crisis deepens, you have to wonder if Benning and company have new marching orders from ownership when it comes to expensive contracts. If so, finally!

If Aquaman is micromanaging the Canucks management, and keeps Benning because he will do whatever Aquaman wants, the Canucks are screwed. Just my opinion.

 

[MS]

Rick Dhaliwal on with Sekeras and Price, speculating that it might have been the owner pushing back on some of these signings. Particularly if it's not an open and shut case that Tryamkin can actually play in the top-six.

Everything looked rosy early on. Apparently Green spent an hour on the phone with Tryamkin talking about next season (either Green learned to speak Russian via hypnosis or Tryamkin's English has improved dramatically).

And just last month, Benning was singing the praises of Tryamkin for his skating, defensive positioning and imposing physical presence on the ice. A contract seemed imminent. So what happened?

I guess the signing of Rathbone was a factor. But the TSN crew speculating that Aquilini is finally starting to push back on some of these contracts, if they're for marginal players. And if he is, who could blame him?

COVID has decimated the revenues of every NHL team. And he must look at how much they were paying last year for AHL players and marginal guys like Benn who couldn't even get out of the press-box. He's the owner of a team trying to win the Stanley Cup, not the Calder Cup.

And as the financial crisis deepens, you have to wonder if Benning and company have new marching orders from ownership when it comes to expensive contracts. If so, finally!

If Aquilini is having financial/spending concerns and things like buyouts aren't on the books as options any longer, we're in even bigger cap trouble than most of us thought.

Like, I assumed they'd clear some money by buying out Baertschi and many have speculated about Eriksson deals that involve us taking more real $ back and buying those contracts out. If Aquilini isn't willing to front for a small Tryamkin signing that would be a PR windfall ... hard to seem him giving $millions for options like that.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

If Aquilini is having financial/spending concerns and things like buyouts aren't on the books as options any longer, we're in even bigger cap trouble than most of us thought.

Like, I assumed they'd clear some money by buying out Baertschi and many have speculated about Eriksson deals that involve us taking more real $ back and buying those contracts out. If Aquilini isn't willing to front for a small Tryamkin signing that would be a PR windfall ... hard to seem him giving $millions for options like that.

This is the best case scenario IMO as it prevents Benning from spending new money.

 

[MS]

This is the best case scenario IMO as it prevents Benning from spending new money.

In any other year if it stopped Benning's drunken sailor routine, absolutely! But we weren't going to be spending money on UFAs this summer in any scenario, so if this means we're not re-signing affordable effective mid-level RFAs like Virtanen or Stecher or if instead of buying Baertschi out we're giving up a Gaudette to get rid of him ... that's not good.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

In any other year if it stopped Benning's drunken sailor routine, absolutely! But we weren't going to be spending money on UFAs this summer in any scenario, so if this means we're not re-signing affordable effective mid-level RFAs like Virtanen or Stecher or if instead of buying Baertschi out we're giving up a Gaudette to get rid of him ... that's not good.

Both Stecher and Virtanen are guys who can be had on team friendly deals. If the Canucks get rid of them, it will be because they simply don't want them anymore, not because of cap concerns. Aquilini being cheap will be the difference between some of Markstorm/Tanev/Toffoli coming back, or not. I'm fine with all 3 of those guys walking (in fact, would prefer it with the latter two).

 

[MS]

Both Stecher and Virtanen are guys who can be had on team friendly deals. If the Canucks get rid of them, it will be because they simply don't want them anymore, not because of cap concerns. Aquilini being cheap will be the difference between some of Markstorm/Tanev/Toffoli coming back, or not. I'm fine with all 3 of those guys walking (in fact, would prefer it with the latter two).

It sounds like they've put the highest priority on Toffoli and Markstrom so if they sign both of those guys there are almost certainly going to be some dominoes falling over in the form of solid mid-level guys being moved out. Replacing Stecher and Virtanen with Brisebois and some $800k Motte-type plug would save the team $3-4 million, and it's one of the easiest ways to clear money if not the smartest.

 

[RobertKron]

It sounds like they've put the highest priority on Toffoli and Markstrom so if they sign both of those guys there are almost certainly going to be some dominoes falling over in the form of solid mid-level guys being moved out. Replacing Stecher and Virtanen with Brisebois and some $800k Motte-type plug would save the team $3-4 million, and it's one of the easiest ways to clear money if not the smartest.

So you’re saying they’re going to trade Boeser for a small dog and then play Rafferty as a forward in his place?

 

[rypper]

By the time he'll be looking to sign on with the Canucks again Tryamkin will be 27 or very close to. At some point you have to think the book is closed.

 

[mossey3535]

Rick Dhaliwal on with Sekeras and Price, speculating that it might have been the owner pushing back on some of these signings. Particularly if it's not an open and shut case that Tryamkin can actually play in the top-six.

Everything looked rosy early on. Apparently Green spent an hour on the phone with Tryamkin talking about next season (either Green learned to speak Russian via hypnosis or Tryamkin's English has improved dramatically).

And just last month, Benning was singing the praises of Tryamkin for his skating, defensive positioning and imposing physical presence on the ice. A contract seemed imminent. So what happened?

I guess the signing of Rathbone was a factor. But the TSN crew speculating that Aquilini is finally starting to push back on some of these contracts, if they're for marginal players. And if he is, who could blame him?

COVID has decimated the revenues of every NHL team. And he must look at how much they were paying last year for AHL players and marginal guys like Benn who couldn't even get out of the press-box. He's the owner of a team trying to win the Stanley Cup, not the Calder Cup.

And as the financial crisis deepens, you have to wonder if Benning and company have new marching orders from ownership when it comes to expensive contracts. If so, finally!

IMO this discounts the whole Aquaman micromanagement thing. If Aquaman was guided the boat this whole time this isn't a talking point.

Again, more than likely Benning did this to himself by being incompetent and having no checks and balances since he prefers to work in an insulated echo chamber full of sycophants.

In my mind it's always been more like Aquaman saying "get us a good d-man!!!", then Benning goes out and signs Myers. Or "we need to be tougher!" and Benning falls over himself to get Ferland without verifying his medical records.

 

[VanJack]

IMO this discounts the whole Aquaman micromanagement thing. If Aquaman was guided the boat this whole time this isn't a talking point.

Again, more than likely Benning did this to himself by being incompetent and having no checks and balances since he prefers to work in an insulated echo chamber full of sycophants.

In my mind it's always been more like Aquaman saying "get us a good d-man!!!", then Benning goes out and signs Myers. Or "we need to be tougher!" and Benning falls over himself to get Ferland without verifying his medical records.

I might have agreed with this analysis, before COVID. But Canucks as a business have had 'zero' revenues coming in for five months now. And looking at Cap Friendly, the Canucks are basically 'capped out' with one of the highest payrolls in the league.

And I'm sure just about every financial projection they might have made for coming season pre-pandemic, is basically out the window now. So as a stand-alone business in the Aquilini stable, they have to be hurting. And I'm fairly confident his other businesses aren't doing that well either.

So if the owner isn't pushing back on the payroll and some of these expensive signings, then he should be.

 

[mossey3535]

I might have agreed with this analysis, before COVID. But Canucks as a business have had 'zero' revenues coming in for five months now. And looking at Cap Friendly, the Canucks are basically 'capped out' with one of the highest payrolls in the league.

And I'm sure just about every financial projection they might have made for coming season pre-pandemic, is basically out the window now. So as a stand-alone business in the Aquilini stable, they have to be hurting. And I'm fairly confident his other businesses aren't doing that well either.

So if the owner isn't pushing back on the payroll and some of these expensive signings, then he should be.

I'm not saying that he shouldn't be pushing back. It made sense from a business/hockey perspective even before covid. With no revenue and who knows what impact on their other businesses, of course they should be acting more responsibly in terms of team finances.

I'm saying that if he was micromanaging before, someone with knowledge of the situation wouldn't call it "pushing back" on fringe contracts. It would be "cutting down", or "cutting back", or "re-evaluating". You don't have to push back on yourself.

 

[RobertKron]

I might have agreed with this analysis, before COVID. But Canucks as a business have had 'zero' revenues coming in for five months now. And looking at Cap Friendly, the Canucks are basically 'capped out' with one of the highest payrolls in the league.

And I'm sure just about every financial projection they might have made for coming season pre-pandemic, is basically out the window now. So as a stand-alone business in the Aquilini stable, they have to be hurting. And I'm fairly confident his other businesses aren't doing that well either.

So if the owner isn't pushing back on the payroll and some of these expensive signings, then he should be.

The Canucks have had no revenue coming in for four months now - not five - and they would have had no revenue coming in for three months now if Covid hadn't happened.

 

[Captain Bowie]

By the time he'll be looking to sign on with the Canucks again Tryamkin will be 27 or very close to. At some point you have to think the book is closed.

Mark Giordano left Calgary for Europe and returned around that age. The book will never be closed while we still hold the rights.